We Should Call It the First Supper

# 694 Today's Du-votional comes from: Mr 14:23 Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 And He said to them, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.

The phrase, “then He took the cup,” connects His preceding act of blessing the bread with this new act of blessing the cup. Both acts were new and foreign to the disciples. And just as Jesus did something miraculous with the bread, (causing it to become His body) He now does something special to the wine in the cup. It becomes His blood. (What part of “This is” don't we understand?)

This consecrated bread and wine have become the body and blood of Jesus, which is the basis of God's New Covenant with His people. Whereas the Old covenant used the body and blood of animals to seal God's promise of forgiveness and redemption, the New Covenant uses the once for all sacrifice of the Body and pouring out of the Blood of Jesus. (The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

He then distributes His Body and Blood to His disciples (the church) and asks them to continue to distribute it until He comes again. (Do this often in remembrance of Me)

Because of this blessing by Jesus, this same Body and Blood is present wherever the Lords Supper is celebrated, and will be until our Lord returns. But how is that possible?

I don't know, how was it possible for Him to keep on distributing food to the 5000? How was it possible for Him to turn water into wine at the wedding in Cana?

Wine does not remit sins, only the blood of Jesus can accomplish this. And remission of sins is promised in Mt 26:28! "For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

We refer to this meal as “The Last Supper.” But you know what? I think we should call it “The First Supper” because it began this night and will continue wherever Christians gather until He comes again!

Listen to what Jesus had to say concerning His flesh and blood in Joh 6:53-55, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 "For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. 56 "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.

This is why Christians everywhere celebrate this meal to this day! Read v55 again. What is He saying? He is saying that His flesh is bread indeed, and His blood is wine indeed. When did this miracle happen?

It happened on this night in which He was betrayed, and continues to happen within the parameters of this meal until He returns. That's why He commanded His church to “Do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” (1 Cor 11:25) and why He adds in 1 Cor 11:27, “ Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.”

He didn't say one would become guilty of the bread and wine of the Lord, he said “The Body and Blood of the Lord.” This IS His Body! This IS His Blood!

Father, this is such a difficult concept for our minds to grasp, but help us to grab onto these words through faith. Give us a holy hunger for what is promised to us in this Holy meal, namely the forgiveness of sins. Let us not try to figure it out, but just receive it as hungrily as the 5000 received the blessed bread and fish, and let us then leave the table with confident and thankful hearts, knowing that our sins have been remitted.